Flemington Racecourse facility completed ahead of Melbourne Cup

06 Aug, 2018

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Image credit: Pat Scala.

Victoria Racing Club’s (VRC) brand new $128 million state-of-the-art Club Stand at Flemington Racecourse has just reached the finish line, and now offers a range of new features including the use of recycled plastic to build the Grandstand bench seats.

The iconic five-level Club Stand has set a new benchmark for racecourse facilities and represents the 10th grandstand to be built at Flemington since 1865. The stand was designed by Bates Smart Architects and was constructed by Multiplex.

“We are thrilled to complete this iconic new Club Stand for the VRC and ensure that this event destination remains one of Australia’s most outstanding sporting venues. The Club Stand celebrates the rich history and character of Flemington Racecourse and will deliver a new and exciting experience to racing patrons,” said Graham Cottam, Regional Managing Director Victoria at Multiplex.

The Club said they were delighted to reach this significant milestone ahead of their hallmark events in the spring racing season.

“We look forward to preparing the finishing touches to The Club Stand before the start of the racing season,” shared VRC’s Chairman, Amanda Elliott.

Construction of the Club Stand generated an estimated 350 full-time equivalent jobs over the 18-month construction period, with a peak workforce of 435 workers on site.

Multiplex said there were numerous complexities which had to be faced during the construction period, including working in a live horse training environment at Flemington Racecourse, and having to schedule works around noise restrictions and non-working race days.

The construction of the stand created approximately 1,500 tonnes of steel with one tower crane and up to six mobile cranes positioned on-site each day at peak construction.

The new stand now offers an external walkway on the first-floor which wraps around the Club Stand, connecting it to the existing Members Grandstand and Parade Ring. A new north-south corridor also forms the heart of the new Club Stand and links the Betting Ring with the Members Lawn and Mounting Yard. A further noticeable feature of the project is the ‘petal’ projections which form the perimeter of the Stand at each floor. They were constructed using 90 precast panels each weighing up to 30 tonnes.

The Members Lawn is now seamlessly linked to function spaces on Level One by a grand sloping tier of seating, encompassing viewing platforms and gardens. On Level Four, The Roof Garden also offers landscaped areas with open and enclosed spaces beneath canopies, a signature design element of the Club Stand’s architecture.

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